October 28, 2008 (New York, NY)—A recent study from the National Eye Institute reports that the diagnosis rates of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the cause of the majority of vision loss in the United States for senior adults, are expected to double by the year 2025. To address this growing population, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) recently released the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) Special Issue on Macular Degeneration. The goal of this groundbreaking Special Issue is to encourage further discussion in the field of geriatric vision rehabilitation and low vision practice and to raise awareness of the methods of effective vision rehabilitation for individuals living with AMD.

"We hope that this issue of JVIB will encourage further thought and research of AMD among professionals in the vision loss field," said Carl R. Augusto, President & CEO, AFB. "Reading this issue will offer professionals a better understanding of this increasingly prevalent eye condition, and will enable them to help those with vision loss adapt more easily and continue living independent lives."

"With the increase in AMD, professionals in the vision loss field will undoubtedly need to understand the importance of the physical, psychological, and cultural differences that sculpt seniors' experiences of vision loss and how these factors influence their approach to rehabilitation," commented guest editors Lylas Mogk, M.D., Medical Director, Visual Rehabilitation and Research Center, Henry Ford Health System, and Gale Watson, M.Ed., C.L.V.T., National Director, Blind Rehabilitation Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office, Washington, DC.

With the research and findings outlined in the Special Issue on Macular Degeneration, vision rehabilitation specialists, occupational therapists, and other professionals in the field will have access to cutting-edge information that will help expand their knowledge of how seniors are affected by this condition and prepare them to help their patients cope with living with macular degeneration.

The JVIB Special Issue on Macular Degeneration is available in print and online. Single copies of the print edition are available for purchase from the AFB Press online bookstore at www.afb.org/store. The Guest Editorial for the issue is available free online at www.jvib.org.

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